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International Day of the Girl – 11 October
Graduate Women International
Impactful and Easy-to-Use Toolkit
What is the International Day of the Girl (IDOG)?
In 2011, the United Nations (UN) General Assembly passed a resolution adopting 11 October as the
International Day of the Girl (IDOG). This day, synonymously known as International Day of the Girl
Child, Day of Girls and International Day of Girls, is celebrated annually and serves to promote the
recognition of girls’ rights. It is a reminder to the international community of the unique challenges
girls face around the world and particularly highlighting issues concerning gender inequality.
The overarching theme for 2018,
“With Her: A Skilled Workforce”, is of
significant relevance to Graduate
Women International (GWI). It relates
precisely to GWI’s primary mission of
promoting the right to quality and
safe lifelong education for girls and
women at all levels; of advocating for
the advancement of the status of girls
and women; and of enabling women
and girls to apply their knowledge and
skills in leadership and decision-
making in all forms of public and
private life. On the occasion of the
2018 IDOG, GWI draws attention to
the strength, vitality and potential of
girls and underlines the importance of
the 2030 Agenda and Sustainable
Development Goals (SDGs) with respect to women and girls, with a special focus on SDGs 4 and 5,
which together are to ensure inclusive and quality education for all and promote lifelong learning
(SDG4) and to achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls (SDG5), along with a
heightened degree of attention drawn to SDG 8 this year: to promote sustained, inclusive and
sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all. It should be
noted, however, that all 17 SDGs are intricately related both to themselves and to the empowerment
of women and girls, and they may only be fully achieved through the realisation of all of them. It is
equally acknowledged that gender equality and empowerment (SDG5) is cross-cutting through all
SDGs. Join us in working alongside all girls, to encourage the expansion of their existing learning
GWI International Day of the Girl 2018 Toolkit. Copyright© 2018 Graduate Women International
opportunities as well as to chart new pathways and to call on the global community to rethink how to
support them in preparing for a successful transition into the professional milieu and into the ever-
changing global environment, so as to develop A Skilled #GirlForce.
In order to make solid progress towards meeting the targets for the SDGs, GWI and its National
Federations and Associations (NFAs) located around the world in 55 countries with Independent
Members represented in 16 additional countries, call on States to fully invest in their girls’ and young
women, and in the SDGs. To do so from our side, GWI produced an awareness building campaign
revolving around IDOG and how each SDG relates to this day and to the empowerment of girls and
promotion of their rights. Developing an approach which combines a focus on IDOG, 2018 theme
“With Her: A Skilled Workforce” and the SDGs, GWI intends to raise awareness and also advocate for
the empowerment of girls. GWI aims with this awareness campaign to engage the global community
to actively promote the advancement of girls, enabling their self-growth and development.
IDOG 2018 Advocacy Campaign Objectives:
a) Raise global awareness of girls’ rights and needs by uniting GWI NFA voices
b) Enhance NFA engagement with GWI and each other
c) Create NFA united ownership of GWI’s mission to advocate for girls’ empowerment,
particularly in eliminating the barriers girls face when trying to acquire a relevant and quality
education to meet current and future global needs and opportunities
GWI and its NFAs are advocates for the safe access to quality girls’ education and women’s equality
empowerment through access to secondary and tertiary education, and through training up to the
highest levels. By sharing our togetherness in the fight for quality education, we demonstrate the
dedication of our members and the efforts we put in for our cause. GWI considers that collective work
will have a stronger impact in our communities.
The relationship between IDOG and the SDGs
GWI International Day of the Girl 2018 Toolkit. Copyright© 2018 Graduate Women International
SDG 1: End poverty in all its forms everywhere
Although the global poverty rate has been halved since 2000, further
efforts are needed to alleviate the conditions of individuals still living in
extreme poverty. Globally, 1 in 5 girls are in households living on less
than US$1.90 a day, a sum that leaves them without enough food,
housing, health care or education.1
Additionally, social protection systems need to be expanded and risks
need to be mitigated for disaster-prone and conflict-ridden countries,
which also tend to be the most impoverished areas. Vulnerable groups
such as women continue to lack social protections. For example, in
2016, merely 41 percent of women giving birth received maternity
benefits, only 28 percent of people with severe disabilities collected disability benefits and only 22
percent of unemployed individuals worldwide received unemployment benefits. 2 Further, the UN
has estimated that bringing female farmers' yields to the level of those produced by men could
reduce the number of hungry people by 100 million. A further exacerbating factor is the unpaid care
provided to family members and communities, mainly by women and girls.
GWI aims to raise awareness in the global community that girls and women may be particularly
vulnerable in such situations, requiring increased support, especially to access basic necessities and
enter the workforce in order to lift themselves (and their families) out of poverty.
Advocacy Idea:
→ Collect and distribute sanitary products to girls in need.
→ Arrange to hold a small introduction to farming class/vegetable urban farming for girls.
→ Campaign for goods service centres to be nearer to the communities requiring assistance, especially
women and girls
SDG 2: End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable
agriculture
Food insecurity and malnutrition remain prevalent in the world,
especially in Asia and Africa although many other areas lack adequate
data to assess the situation. Gender inequality is both a major cause
and effect of hunger and poverty: in nearly two thirds of countries,
women are more likely than men to face food insecurity: roughly 60
percent of chronically hungry people are women and girls.3 Issues
such as “hidden hunger”, i.e., the lack of correct nutrients in a diet,
people driven from their lands, biased global trade, and women not
having adequate/any access to land and capital are contribute to
food insecurity and malnutrition.
GWI calls on the global community to continue focusing efforts on investments in agriculture,
including government spending and aid as well as fair worldwide food distribution and trade, in order
1
https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/sdg1
2
http://www.unwomen.org/en/news/in-focus/women-and-the-sdgs/sdg-1-no-poverty
3
http://www.unwomen.org/en/news/in-focus/commission-on-the-status-of-women-2012/facts-and-figures
GWI International Day of the Girl 2018 Toolkit. Copyright© 2018 Graduate Women International
to eradicate world hunger. To fulfill the goal of SDG 2, education is key; girls education contributes 43
percent of the reduction in child malnutrition over time, while food availability accounted for 26
percent.4
Advocacy Idea:
→ Provide food for schools: when there is lunch available, attendance increases.
→ Support local Family Farming efforts with the full inclusion of girls in the learning process. Family
farmers are key actors towards achieving food security and hunger reduction.5
→ Create food sharing event in your community.
→ Form a youth task group to gather and distribute locally knowledge of nutrition.
→ Join together to ensure that resources are not wasted.
→ Set up programmes to support women obtaining capital to establish their own activities.
SDG 3: Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages To achieve universal access
to sexual and reproductive health care is crucial, particularly to the health and well-being of women,
children and adolescents.
Healthy lives and well-being may be interrupted by a variety of issues. For
example, globally, the adolescent birth rate among females aged 15 to 19
remains high in two thirds of all countries, with more than 20 births per
1,000 adolescent girls in 2015. Adolescent pregnancy may lead to a fall in
girls’ school attendance, halting their educational progress and hindering
their future opportunities and can have a serious impact on their health.6
GWI urges the international community to therefore also engage in
reducing adolescent childbearing.
Click here to read more about SDG 3 and how it relates to IDOG and GWI’s
mission and aims.
Advocacy Ideas:
→ Hold informal discussion on how public health can be linked to many indicators, including: wealth,
immunization levels, education, environmental factors, and average life-expectancy. Deliver summary
of discussion outcomes to local governments and news media.
→ Hold a student discussion in which students take a problem-based research approach to learning
about public health demographics internationally. Students are broken up into groups and use World
Population History’s interactive map and timeline to learn about a specific country, and then work
together to evaluate that country using the Demographic Transition Model.
→ Hold informal community discussions that encourage young women and girls to never stop learning
and to invest in their personal development and self-growth by furthering their educational
attainment, through a variety of learning paths.
SDG 4: Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning
opportunities for all
4
https://www.wfp.org/our-work/preventing-hunger/focus-women/women-hunger-facts
5
http://www.fao.org/3/ca1465en/CA1465EN.pdf
6
https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/sdg3
GWI International Day of the Girl 2018 Toolkit. Copyright© 2018 Graduate Women International
Girls’ education is often overlooked and ignored, particularly in the
second decade of their life, when girls are too old to be protected
as children yet still too young to assume the full rights of adults.
However, education and schooling comprise the future of girls and
their potential opportunities. Globally, 65 million girls are not in
school and of the 123 million young people between the ages of 15
and 24 who cannot read or write, 61% of them are women.
Additionally, half of the children who are not in school live in
conflict-ridden countries, with girls making up 55% of this total.7
Access to, and completion of, quality secondary education is a
critical means to empower girls and women by providing them with
skills and knowledge – academic, social and personal – that they will bring from adolescence to
adulthood. In line with this year’s IDOG theme, GWI stresses it is through quality education that girls
and young women acquire the tools vital to progress further in higher education, work and society; to
be “A Skilled Workforce”. Consequently, GWI calls on the international community to rapidly expand
access to inclusive education and training as well as improve the quality, relevance and gender-
responsiveness of teaching and learning, to enable girls to develop the foundational, transferable and
job-specific skills needed for life and work in this ever changing world. Check out more of GWI’s work
advocating for the fulfillment of SDG 4, such as our Manifestos on Education as well as Press Release
on International Literacy which draws attention to literacy and education as foundational means for
women and girls’ effective participation within societies and economies.
Advocacy Ideas:
→ In many countries, girls are victims of early, forced child marriage and pulled out of school early.
Start community conversations that allow for open discussions to end early, forced marriage in your
community.
→ Hold discussions on work trends and technological advances, stressing the opportunities held for
women.
→ Obtain data from State Education Departments regarding rates of drop-outs for girls and young
women at school and tertiary levels. Investigate the causes of such drop-out rates and ways to address
the issues then widely distribute the information.
SDG 5: Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls
Worldwide, gender inequality continues to remain an issue in dire
need of being addressed as it deprives girls of their basic rights and
opportunities.
For example, on the basis of data from 2005 to 2016 for 87
countries, 19 percent of adolescents and women between 15 and
49 years of age said they had experienced physical and/or sexual
violence by an intimate partner in the 12 months prior to the
survey. In 2012, almost half of all women who were victims of
intentional homicide worldwide were killed by an intimate partner
or family member, compared to six percent of male victims.
Additionally, 49 countries lack laws protecting women from
domestic violence. 8
7 https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/sdg4
8
http://www.unwomen.org/en/news/in-focus/women-and-the-sdgs/sdg-5-gender-equality
GWI International Day of the Girl 2018 Toolkit. Copyright© 2018 Graduate Women International
Other forms of Gender-Based Violence (GBV) such as child marriage also persist: in 2015, roughly one
in four women between 20 and 24 years of age reported that they were married before 18 years of
age. Additionally, the harmful practice of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) remains prevalent:
according to data in 30 countries, more than one in three girls between 15 and 19 years had been
subjected to the practice in 2015.9
Additionally, gender inequality is also present in the world of work (including unpaid care work). The
average amount of time spent on unpaid domestic and care work is more than threefold higher for
women than men.10 Available data also indicates that time spent on domestic chores accounts for a
large proportion of the gender gap in unpaid work. Women remain underrepresented in managerial
positions: in the majority of the 67 countries with data from 2009 to 2015, fewer than a third of senior-
and middle-management positions were held by women. 11
Also, globally, women’s participation in single or lower houses of national parliaments merely reached
23.4 percent in 2017, suggesting that stronger political commitment and more ambitious measures
and quotas are needed so as to boost women’s political participation and empowerment. 12
The issue of the gender pay gap has received much attention recently. According to Payscale.com, the
median salary for women is roughly 22 percent lower than the median salary for men into 2018. This
is a slight improvement from 2016, when the median salary for women was roughly 24 percent lower
than the median salary for men. When an equally qualified man and woman do the same job, the
woman earns 97.8 cents for every dollar earned by the man.13
GWI calls on the global community to collectively participate in resolving these issues which all revolve
around the need to achieve gender equality. The empowerment of girls necessitates concerted
efforts, including on legal frameworks, human resource practices and a renewed focus on combatting
stereotypes and prejudices and GBV in order to counter deeply rooted gender-based discrimination
that often results from patriarchal attitudes and related social norms. Read more of our work on this
SDG such as our Press Release on the International Day of Zero Tolerance of FGM in which we recall
our Resolution 6 on preventing FGM. Additionally, see our past Policy Position Paper on Human
Trafficking along with our Resolution 7 on the matter, both of which highlight how such modern forms
of slavery are a human right’s violation .
Advocacy Ideas:
→As a woman, learn and know your rights and stand up for them. Widely promote this knowledge to
young women and girls.
→ Create mentoring and coaching session aimed to build women and girls’ confidence, gain
transferable skills and develop their careers.
→ Advocate through discussion groups at local schools for
gender equality to be a required part of training and
education in schooling systems and to be fully implemented
in the curriculum.
→ Encourage schools to provide scholarships for girls and
women along with spreading the word about existing funds.
This contributes to promoting the ranks of women and girls
9
https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/sdg5
10
http://www.undp.org/content/unct/lesotho/en/home/sdgs/goal-5--gender-equality.html
11
Ibid.
12
Ibid.
13
http://www.undp.org/content/unct/lesotho/en/home/sdgs/goal-5--gender-equality.html
GWI International Day of the Girl 2018 Toolkit. Copyright© 2018 Graduate Women International
and to the development of their leadership skills through safe schooling.
→ Write and send letters to local and national governments calling for schools to have a written Policy
on Gender Equality with known consequences.
SDG 6: Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all
A lack of suitable and safe sanitation facilities often results in girls
staying at home during menstruation. School absenteeism creates a
barrier for girls’ access to education, hindering their educational
development and in turn their potential opportunities. Issues such
as single and safe toilet facilities are also essential.
Also falling under SDG 6 is the issue of water shortage: in 80 percent
of households with water shortages, women and girls are responsible
for water collection, they often need to travel long distances and
carry heavy loads. The time required can lead to a fall in girls’ school
attendance and study time, affecting their educational path and
leaving women with fewer options to earn an income and realise their full potential. 14
GWI urges all to recognise the interrelation between IDOG and achieving the SDG 6.
For more on how our organisation focuses on this SDG 6, check out our Advocacy Report on Menstrual
Hygiene Management.
Advocacy Ideas:
→ Advocate for schools to provide suitable basic safe sanitation facilities for girls.
→ Visit the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights webpage for your country page to see
most recent pronouncements by UN Treaty Bodies for your country. Identify which observations and
recommendations are relevant to promoting a water-justice approach to SDG 6. Incorporate these
into SDG advocacy and advocacy before other human-rights channels.
SDG 7: Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all
In 2012, over four million people died prematurely from indoor air
pollution which is caused by cooking with solid fuel or heating with
unsafe fuel. Sixty-percent of those who died were women and girls.
The lack of modern energy sources has further grave consequences
for women and girls, who often are the primary household energy
managers. For example, they may girls spend hours each day
collecting fuel and carrying heavy loads: in households that cook
with solid fuels, girls spend an average of 18 hours a week on
gathering fuel. This substantially reduces their opportunities such as
investing in their educational advancement. 15. Unsafe heating and
lighting methods, resulting in fires, adds an additional serious
consequence to the health and wellbeing of girls.
GWI calls on governments and institutions to provide sustainable energy for all, as it is a basic
necessity.
14
http://www.unwomen.org/en/news/in-focus/women-and-the-sdgs/sdg-6-clean-water-sanitation
15
http://www.unwomen.org/en/news/in-focus/women-and-the-sdgs/sdg-7-affordable-clean-energy
GWI International Day of the Girl 2018 Toolkit. Copyright© 2018 Graduate Women International
Advocacy Ideas:
→ Support solar power projects for schools, homes and offices. Without power, girls and women are
hindered from learning and developing their education and skills and in turn from playing an active
role in society.
→ Consider Your Issues: Understanding the issues that impact your NFA, your constituents, and your
cause is vital to serving as an advocacy resources and making an impact. Start by reading up on some
of the latest legislation, research, and other reports to familiarize yourself with what others are
already doing and how your NFA might join in.
→ Encourage girls in your area to develop innovation ideas in this field. Facilitate a competition with
the help of youth role models.
SDG 8: Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive
employment and decent work for all
Globally, only 63 percent of women aged 25 to 54 are in the labour
force compared to 94 percent of men of the same age. For economic
growth to be inclusive, decent work must be equally accessible to
both women and men. With girls growing into women who could be
less likely to participate in the labour force, along with being more
likely to take the worst jobs in it, such as insecure, unsafe and
unskilled, poorly paid jobs, inclusive growth is hindered. 16
Relevant to IDOG is that, of the 1 billion young people – including 600
million adolescent girls – that will enter the workforce in the next
decade, over 90 percent of those living in developing countries will
work in the informal sector, in which low or no pay, abuse and
exploitation are unfortunately common. 17
In order to achieve sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, eradicating gender
inequality, particularly in the labour market is vital. GWI calls on all to engage in empowering girls so
they may seek full, productive and decent work within professional environments. This entails that
the international community should unite in assisting girls to acquire the skills and training needed to
secure decent work or start a business. The girls should have access to learning opportunities, gain
transferable skills and be adequately assisted in the transition from school to work. Initiatives must be
created which support girls’ school-to-work transition, such as career guidance, apprenticeships,
internships and entrepreneurship. Additionally, GWI advances the need to deliver large-scale public
and private sector programming for girls’ skills and market-adapted training as well as fostering
adequate access to finance and enterprise development for female entrepreneurs.
16
http://www.unwomen.org/en/news/in-focus/women-and-the-sdgs/sdg-8-decent-work-economic-growth
17
http://www.ungei.org/files/IDOG_2018_Concept_Note.pdf
GWI International Day of the Girl 2018 Toolkit. Copyright© 2018 Graduate Women International
Work towards SDG 8 will also contribute to ensuring all girls and women, including those with
disabilities, have equal rights, education, and opportunities as called for in SDGs 4 and 5. Be #WithHer
by ensuring women and girls make up the #SkilledWorkforce.
Advocacy Ideas:
→ Promote on your social media awareness campaigns
to end modern day slavery, forced labour, human
trafficking and forced marriages.
→ Shop informed: ensure your money is being spent
ethically, do a quick search to check out what your
favourite brands are doing to fight slavery and to
implement ethical work practices.
→ Support Anti-Slavery Organisations and report violators to local media.
→ Advocate for increased value to be placed on unpaid care and domestic work.
→ Facilitate learning sessions that inform about how to access capital, introduce transferrable skills
and career choice ideas to girls.
SDG 9: Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and
foster innovation
Some of the gender imbalances are: worldwide, barely 30 percent of
professionals in the scientific industry are girls who have transitioned
into science fields. Research and innovation drive the knowledge
economy, and are the backbone of future jobs, yet women alarmingly
hold less than a third of research positions. Similar gaps apply to the
construction, manufacturing and energy businesses, which still have too
few women employees and decision-makers.18
GWI calls on the international community, particularly governments and
schools to increase girls’ participation in Science, Technology,
Engineering and Math (STEM) learning and to actively seek to alter
ingrained gender roles and stereotypes, in order to enable girls to have the same learning possibilities
and career opportunities as boys. Read GWI’s past Press Release observing the International Day of
Women and Girls in Science which further highlights our position advocating that future development
must include roles for women and girls in science.
Advocacy Ideas:
→ Engage with local or national projects that provide infrastructure for basic needs: hospitals, schools
and clinics can host fundraising events for projects developing health care infrastructure and
schooling.
→ Promote increased access to digital technology and girls’ relation with Information and
Communication Technology (ICT) tools, such as by raising awareness of the International Girls in ICT
Day, observed annually on the fourth Thursday of April. Share widely GWI’s Press Release observing
18
http://www.unwomen.org/en/news/in-focus/women-and-the-sdgs/sdg-9-industry-innovation-infrastructure
GWI International Day of the Girl 2018 Toolkit. Copyright© 2018 Graduate Women International
this International Day, in which we celebrate women’s and girls’ potential as creators of technological
and digital solutions for a better future, not solely for themselves but for society as whole.
SDG 10: Reduce inequality within and among countries
In developing countries, income inequality rose by 11 percent
between 1990 and 2010. With less income and fewer assets than
men, women, particularly single-mother households, are more likely
to live below 50 percent of median income.19
In order to reduce inequality, eliminating gender inequality is
necessarily required and in urgent need of being fulfilled. GWI,
therefore, appeals to the international community to promote the
active combatting of all forms of unjust inequality within and
between communities. Share the GWI’s International Women’s Day
Press Release that further voices our concern about the persistence
of gender stereotypes and gender disparities within society, particularly in the media.
Advocacy Ideas:
→ Create a local girls’ role model group for monthly meetings aimed to encourage global leadership,
staying in school and more
→ Raise awareness to promote support for the building of schools, homes and offices which are more
inclusive of all, such as being accommodating to youth, elder persons and people with disabilities.
→ Actively aim to end the propagation of stereotypes. Promote that people rather seek to learn and
understand different people and embrace variety.
SDG 11: Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable
In developing countries, more than half of urban women and girls lack at
least one of the following: access to clean water, improved sanitation,
durable housing and/or sufficient living area. Housing deficits impose
additional burdens on women, who spend more time at home.
Overcrowding and poor hygiene can make households vulnerable to
illness, with women required to care for the sick. 20
GWI appeals to all global citizens to promote areas within their
communities which are inclusive, particularly to women and girls, creating
safe spaces which are resilient and sustainable.
Advocacy Ideas:
→ Reach out to disadvantaged areas around your community. Integrate into a group people of
different class and ethnicity and include them in decision-making processes which involve them,
including their living conditions, pollution, etc.
→ Brainstorm and discuss ways of ensuring safe and accessible public spaces, especially for women,
children, older persons and people with disabilities.
19
http://www.unwomen.org/en/news/in-focus/women-and-the-sdgs/sdg-10-reduced-inequalities
20
http://www.unwomen.org/en/news/in-focus/women-and-the-sdgs/sdg-11-sustainable-cities-communities
GWI International Day of the Girl 2018 Toolkit. Copyright© 2018 Graduate Women InternationalSDG 12: Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns
Transport is essential for many girls worldwide who commute to
workplaces or schools. Hence, investment in energy efficient modes
would not only yield large benefits for the environment but directly
for girls too. 21
GWI urges the mindfulness of governments, organisations,
companies, institutions and communities in promoting sustainable
consumption and production as a means of empoweringgirls,
widening their opportunities and allowing for their self-development.
Advocacy Ideas:
→ Eat local, this reduces harmful impacts on the planet from importing, as well as promotes local
trade, supporting women and girls who are part of local businesses.
→ Support fair trade associations that support and promote businesses committed to the principles
of fair trade.
SDG 13: Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts
Climate change, caused by human activity, poses growing risks to people
and the environment. Rising temperatures have made storms and
droughts more severe. Catastrophic storms destroy lives and homes. Sea
level rise threatens low-lying areas. Did you know that women and
children primarily bear most of the brunt of this? In fact, they are 14 times
more likely than men to die during a disaster.22
GWI calls on all global citizens to take action in combat climate change,
both as individuals and collectively as communities.
Advocacy idea:
→ Organise for a local school or NFA to plant new trees every year within your community.
→ Promote awareness and implementation of resource conservation.
SDG 14: Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable
development
Girls face the risks of ocean degradation with fewer assets and
alternatives for income, and less resilience against mounting losses.
Additionally, fishing and aquaculture are marked by significant
occupational segregation, with men primarily involved in fish and
aquaculture harvesting, and women largely concentrated in low-
skilled, low-paid secondary jobs such as fish processing and
marketing. They often work without contracts or health, safety and
labour rights protections, which only propagates and reinforces
gender inequality in all aspects of society. The maritime industry is
almost completely managed by men; in 2016, only one of the top 100
seafood companies was run by a woman. 23
21
http://www.unwomen.org/en/news/in-focus/women-and-the-sdgs/sdg-12-responsible-consumption-production
22
http://www.unwomen.org/en/news/in-focus/women-and-the-sdgs/sdg-13-climate-action
23
http://www.unwomen.org/en/news/in-focus/women-and-the-sdgs/sdg-14-life-below-water
GWI International Day of the Girl 2018 Toolkit. Copyright© 2018 Graduate Women InternationalGWI urges collective mindfulness that conservation and sustainable development with regard to
marine resources is necessary in order to preserve our planet and allow humankind, particularly girls
to survive and thrive. Additionally, in order to achieve the SDGs by 2030, promoting gender equality
(SDG 5) as well as adequate and decent work environments (SDG 8) within the maritime industry and
other sectors is required.
Advocacy Ideas:
→ Organise your NFA to remove debris from a portion of the beach, river or lake from litter, if living
nearby.
→ Promote organisations that protect the oceans.
→ Rally through the voices of a youth group for the reduction of plastics, which so often end up in our
rivers and seas.
SDG 15: Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably
manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt
biodiversity loss
Women and girls, particularly those who are poor and living in rural areas,
often depend on forests for fuel, fodder and food. Deforestation for some
means spending many more hours each day walking long distances to
secure these needs. Their limited ownership of land reduces their capacity
to adapt to losses or to make decisions about how land is used. While
some have extensive knowledge about traditional practices that are
inherently sustainable, they are all too often excluded from decisions
about sustainable ecosystems.24
GWI urges the global community to recognise women and girls’
dependence on lands such as forests and to engage in protecting,
restoring and promoting sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems.
Advocacy Ideas:
→ If relevant with your community, help fund projects to rehabilitate lands.
→ Participate and promote local urban farming.
→ Form fair trade grassroots groups, with youth ambassadors, that unify fair trade practices that limit
desertification and valuable habitation loss.
SDG 16: Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access
to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels
24
http://www.unwomen.org/en/news/in-focus/women-and-the-sdgs/sdg-15-life-on-land
GWI International Day of the Girl 2018 Toolkit. Copyright© 2018 Graduate Women InternationalWhere conflict strikes, men are more likely to die on battlefields, but
a disproportionate share of women and girls are targeted for sexual
warfare. Disproportionately, women and girls remain poorly
represented in formal mechanisms for negotiating and sustaining
peace. More broadly, whether in global, regional or national
governance, women tend to be underrepresented in the governance
of institutions. This is discriminatory, entrenching gender disparities,
during times of both war and peace, as women and girls’ voices are
muted in decision-making processes.25
GWI calls on communities to acknowledge that eradicating gender
inequality is a prerequisite to realising SDG 16, of achieving peaceful, inclusive and sustainable
societies. Aiming to actively promote the empowerment of women and girls is, therefore, necessary
and justified. GWI persistently promotes the achievement of SDG 16. For wide distribution is the GWI
recently released press release marking International Day of Peace with a focus on the role of
education as an enabler in fostering a culture of peace and the GWI Peace through Education
conference planned for July 2019.
Advocacy Ideas:
→ Stop violence against women. If you see it happening, report it. Volunteer at local anti-violence
organisations and outreach programmes.
→Participate in your community’s decision-making processes in an informed manner, promoting the
engagement of women and youth in discussions on the governance of institutions.
→ Promote the inclusion of women and girls on global peacemaking fora.
SDG 17: Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalize the Global Partnership for
Sustainable Development
Success of the SDGs depends on sufficient means to implement them,
underpinned by a strong commitment to solidarity and cooperation.
Finance, fair and equitable trade, technology, capacities, partnerships and
data are among the primary tools for achieving gender equality and all
other dimensions of sustainable development including educational
opportunities. They define, also, for example, whether or not services are
provided to reduce women’s burden of unpaid care and improve their
access to decent work. 26
GWI advocates for the recognition that the SDGs will not be achieved
without international solidarity and collaboration, calling on the global
community to foster strategic partnerships with governments, private companies and institutions
which can act as thought leaders and financiers, helping to provide lifelong learning opportunities for
girls and support girls and women by bringing them into the workforce.
Advocacy Idea:
→ Encourage corporate social responsibility towards projects related to sustainable development.
Both public and private sectors actors have a vital role to play in supporting women in their
25
http://www.unwomen.org/en/news/in-focus/women-and-the-sdgs/sdg-16-peace-justice-strong-institutions
26
http://www.unwomen.org/en/news/in-focus/women-and-the-sdgs/sdg-17-partnerships-for-the-goals
GWI International Day of the Girl 2018 Toolkit. Copyright© 2018 Graduate Women Internationalopportunities such as by sponsoring their education or actively aiming to include them into
professional environments.
→ Form local youth task forces to speak publicly about the extreme need for their collaboration.
Concluding Remarks
It is clear that insufficient investment has been made in addressing the challenges faced by girls and
young women entering the second decade of their lives, including but not limited to, obtaining quality
secondary and higher education; access to drinking water and sanitation; access to information and
services related to puberty; access to information and services related to health care and family
planning; protection of girls from acts of GBV such as minimising child marriage and FGM incidents;
access to digital technology and financial literacy opportunities; and placing value on unpaid care and
domestic work. It is clear girls’ full and adequate participation in the future workforce requires tackling
gender stereotypes and harmful social norms across professions and societies in general. Addressing
these many systemic barriers to decent work which they may face is crucial so that every girl can join
With Her: A Skilled GirlForce.
Unless greater attention and care are provided for the world’s girls and young women, States risk
falling short of their commitments to reach the sustainable development targets by 2030. GWI calls
on governments, policy makers and communities to put girls and young women at the centre of
sustainable development efforts. Investing in girls’ health, safety, education and rights - in times of
both peace and crisis – empowers them to reach for their dreams, participate as global leaders and
build better lives for themselves and their communities.
Key events and Days of Observance to follow and recent
innovations surrounding IDOG
• International Day of the Girl – 11 October 2018: Digital movements and events taking place
globally, including Working Group on Girls SpeakOut event at UN New York and Plan
International’s Global Girls Summit 2018 to be held in Brussels.
• Education World Forum – 20-23 January 2019
• International Day of Women and Girls in Science – 11 February 2019: Amplify STEM-related
messages and stories from IDOG
• International Women’s Day – 8 March 2019
• 63rd Commission on the Status of Women – 11-22 March 2019
• International Girls in ICT Day – 25 April 2019
• Women Deliver – 3-6 June 2019: Opportunity to showcase innovative solutions and
partnerships for skills development for girls’ empowerment; potential youth design lab
focused on IDOG18 theme “With Her: A Skilled Workforce”.
• 2019 ILO Conference – 10-21 June 2019: Adoption of new ILO Convention and
Recommendation on violence and harassment in the world of work; opportunity to highlight
the need to protect the human rights of young women in the world of work.
• World Youth Skills Day – 15 July 2019
• GWI Peace through Education Conference, 25-28 July 2019, Geneva
1. SheTrades: Initiative launched by the International Trade Centre (ITC) to create an
ecosystem of integrated solutions that empower women economically through trade.
2. World Trade Organization (WTO) aims to put girls’ education at the table for peacebuilding
with trade.
3. UNCTAD offers online trade courses.
4. UNHCR’s education programme that brings refugees into conference to discuss their life
experiences and raise awareness for this growing global community.
GWI International Day of the Girl 2018 Toolkit. Copyright© 2018 Graduate Women International5. UPR Info offers online in-country human rights advocacy training.
About GWI
Graduate Women International (GWI) is a membership-based international NGO based in Geneva,
Switzerland, with presence in some 60 countries with our NFAs and Independent Members. Founded
in 1919, GWI is the leading girls’ and women’s global organisation advocating for women’s rights,
equality, and empowerment through access to quality education and training up to the highest levels.
GWI is in special consultative status with ECOSOC since 1947 and in an NGO maintaining official
relations with UNESCO and ILO.
Learn about our advocacy work. Follow us on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter (@GradWomen).
For more information please contact:
Stacy Dry Lara, Executive Director, Graduate Women International
T: +41 22 731 23 80; Email: sdl@graduatewomen.org
GWI International Day of the Girl 2018 Toolkit. Copyright© 2018 Graduate Women InternationalYou can also read
